State of the Bored Address

haie said:

Market the site as a pac 12 shit-throwing bored, paywall the uncensored boreds, problem solved

DerekJohnson said:

puppylove_sugarsteel said:

Hmmmm...puppy forced to hightail it the fuck out and donations plummet. Coincidence? Yeah and so is
The dawgs being ranked 14th under Petersen.

Who said donations "plummeted?" I said it was a bit disappointing so far. As of this morning we're at $3,350. Last year we had $3,900 + $1,200 from the sponsor.

If you want to say then stay. If you want to leave then LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2001400ex said:

PM to DJ:

First, thanks for your honesty and being up front about your costs and revenues. While I understand that subscriptions are at an all time high!! You still need to make this profitable as you shouldn't work this for free.

You and swaye have both echoed a few of my comments I've made in the past about this site. I haven't been to tiger droppings, but I suspect they are a little more PC than here. In other words,i think it's less about cuss words and such, but the constant "die in a fire" and other stuff that gets said, such as advising rape, are over the top. Yes I'm part of that, and some on here will call you a sellout if you start to delete that stuff. But, as stated, it inhibits growth as most people don't tolerate it, and you've found out that advertisers don't allow it.

I think first thing is to clean up the recruiting bored. Keep that free, it's awesome, but go back to the original rules. If you want to compete with Kim (which I'm not sure that's your goal), that's one way to do it. There's some smart knowledgeable dudes who post on here that provide all the information right there in real time. Use that board, promote it. See if those same people will help you out through social media, as that's probably the best way to drive growth.

I like the pay wall thing. I don't care about paying for access to softcore porn. But I think there should be a pay wall where people can say what they want. Make the husky board and others more PC, recruiting board legit.

Just my thoughts, and fuck off.

DerekJohnson said:

To Benny Beaver and Whom it may Concern:



As Hardcore Husky prepares to enter its fourth football season, it's a good time to give you (our "valued" posters), some indication of where we're at and where we're going.

So many of you are here every day and the health of the website is very important to you. I have made no secret of my disillusionment of UW Football and the way it is being run by the narcissistic, insipid people in charge. For me, it would be a type of relief to walk away from Husky Football and never think about it again. But there is one thing that keeps me here and motivates me to manage this site, and that's you fucksticks. Our dynamic and eclectic community is second-to-none for message board entertainment. It's a special thing we've got going here.

That being said, I have spent thousands of hours and much energy keeping things going. When I put out the call for donations three weeks ago, many of you immediately kicked in, and I deeply appreciate that. But the overall numbers were a little disappointing, leaving us short for covering expenses for the year ahead.

Here are some basic numbers: Since starting the site on Nov 26th, 2012, we have had 22.1 million page views. We currently have 2,071 registered members. When you take into account some of you douchebags with multiple handles, I estimate that we have about 1,900 unique members. Of course, many more people than that like to lurk at our threads.

In the month of August, we have taken in about $3,100 in donations. The vast majority have been subscriptions to the Wigwam. Conservatively speaking, it costs an average of about $290 a month right now to run the site (Including server fees, Squarespace, podcast costs, domain, etc). That includes our independent IT and graphics people (Matt, Sondra and Lucy) who have been paid $605 so far this year. I also have to pay 25% of all donations in the form of taxes.

Last year we took in a total of $3,900 in donations and $1,200 in revenue from our sponsor. Unfortunately our sponsor didn't feel we were driving enough business to their Edmonds location, so they discontinued after two years.

Anyway, if we raise a total of $5,000 for the next twelve months, that would enable us to cover expenses. Meaning that in the coming months we need to raise another $1,900.

I've been in contact with a handful of regular posters who plan to donate in the next month or two, so I feel really good about surpassing the $4,000 mark.

But in regards to the next twelve months, I'm asking you regulars who haven't given to consider making a donation. Even $25 helps out and keeps the lights on. I monitor the site stats daily, and I monitor people's accounts. A lot of you guys (and gals) are logging on to Hardcore Husky 2-4 times a day and it's clear you really enjoy what's happening here. Please consider giving back to this community.

Now then, regarding the future of Hardcore Husky...

Many of you have encouraged and praised me for creating and running the site. While I really appreciate that support, I feel like the site has outgrown my original business model. I don't feel like I am doing enough to maximize what we've got here. I realize the need to spend the next 6+ months rethinking the business model in order to adopt a new approach for next year.

Recently I reached out to several regular posters via PM and asked them for feedback. Multiple people suggested more emphasis on football content on the Hardcore Husky main board. I agree with that insomuch as helping steer it in that direction, as long as I'm not trying to dictate where the overall conversation is going.

Tequilla also made a very valid point, when he said that I needed to decide whether to make this place a hobby board or to take on a more professional approach. Given the thousands of hours I have spent managing and moderating the site, it certainly feels like a part-time job already. So it might behoove me (and my esteemed colleagues from the original Bored of Investors) to rethink the site in a more professional sense.

The real trick to this is to not lose our identity. The Game of Thrones character Bronn epitomizes what this site is about. That MoFo is a glib swashbuckler who fancies himself a womanizer, but beneath it all there is a conscience. That's our general persona and/or attitude here. The key with Hardcore Husky is to foster an environment of free speech that teems with ideas and humor. The last thing we need to is suppress that creative, pub-like atmosphere with heavy-handed moderation and rules meant to streamline profits and mainstream the site. At the same time, I maintain subtle limits so the site doesn't implode amid a maelstrom of debauchery and endless one-liners.

That is always first and foremost in my mind when implementing changes here at Hardcore Husky. Keep our identity, keep our soul. It won't be easy, but it's a must.

So over the next 6+ months I will be planning ahead to next year. I welcome all constructive suggestions that any of you may have.

In the meantime, I will be writing a weekly article on Mondays during the football season. My topics may or may not involve the Huskies (as my interest may or may not continue to wane), but I will do my best to write entertainingly on some topic.

The Hardcore Husky Podcast will broadcast once a week during the football season. I will be joined by former Huskies Kyle Benn and Mike Monan along with the Sweatpants General, Koopdog, on select episodes. (I still haven't worked out that schedule yet, I may let it grow organically).

Last but not least, our old friend Larry (aka DeLarry) will be entering the podcast world. He and I will be starting a second podcast, covering the Tennessee Volunteers football program. After much discussion, DeLarry and I are adopting the Vols as our second team to root for, given our disdain for the incompetence of the the current UW administraton. He and I will learn about the Vols as we go along, and we're both looking forward to those conversations.

So here's to an enjoyable 2016 football season. Let's hope the Huskies can finally accomplish something of value after a lost generation of fucktarded football, dim-witted administrators, and sociological experiments gone awry.

Again, if you spend time in our community and want to contribute to its overall health, please make a donation via PayPal on the right-hand margin of the site. Or send a check payable to Derek Johnson at PO Box 8298, Port Orchard, WA 98366.

Thank you to everyone, and remember the words of Dave Barry -- "You can only be young once. But you can always be immature."

Derek